Meeting/Event Information

Staying Grounded: Advancing Inclusion in the Workplace Amid Shifting Expectations

Speaker: Jejuana C. Brown - Senior Director, Inclusion & Community Relations, The Cleveland Orchestra

Synopsis: Organizations across sectors are navigating a shifting landscape when it comes to inclusion—marked by evolving expectations, increased scrutiny, and changing approaches. For leaders and practitioners, the question is no longer whether inclusion matters, but how to move this work forward effectively in today’s environment.

This session will explore what has changed—and what remains essential—when it comes to inclusion in the workplace. Drawing on experience from a major cultural institution, we will examine how inclusion shows up in everyday practices, from team dynamics and decision-making to community engagement and organizational culture.
Participants will leave with practical, grounded strategies to advance inclusion in ways that are sustainable, mission-aligned, and responsive to the current landscape.

Speaker BIO: Jejuana is an inclusive strategy professional with a passion for leadership development, mentoring, and building inclusive institutional cultures.  She currently serves as the Senior Director of Inclusion and Community Relations for The Cleveland Orchestra, leading an organization-wide approach and strategy for building and strengthening an inclusive culture and environment for all stakeholders. Her prior positions include leading equity and inclusion programming and a regional workforce diversity strategy for Greater Cleveland Partnership and strategic and inclusive initiatives at Cleveland State University.  

She earned a Master of Education in Adult Learning and Development and a Graduate Certificate in Diversity Management from Cleveland State University. Currently she is a doctoral candidate in the Doctorate of Executive Leadership program at the University of Charleston, West Virginia. An active community member, Jejuana serves on the Cleveland Advisory Board of Facing History and Ourselves and Getting to We.